I Never Planned On You
by RealMe07
Summary: Katherine works in the infant room at Pulitzer Daycare Center in Santa Fe. Jack, a newly single father after his wife left him, has a young four month old who may just possibly bring the two together. Modern Daycare AU!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I've been really into writing lately (which I haven't had for a while), especially for Newsies! So I came up with this AU and I'm really excited about it! Not quite sure if I should make this a few chapters or a longer fic? Let me know! :)**

"Hannah, could you give Adelaide her bottle, please?" Katherine Plumber said, burping one baby as she fed one another bite of pureed carrots and tried to keep another entertained.

"Sure thing, Kathy!" Hannah, the newest and youngest employee at Pulitzer Daycare in Santa Fe, New Mexico, replied perkily to her coworker. Hannah didn't really understand what multi-tasking was, and that was a very necessary trait to have if you work in the infant room. She wasn't awful, but Katherine definitely did not prefer her to be working in the infant room with her.

Katherine had been the lead in the infant room for two years now. At 24, she had gotten her bachelor in early childhood education, gotten a decent paying job along with one on the side, and yet she has still been single for a little over a year. Katherine was one of those women that had always wanted to be a mom and a wife when she got older and really wanted nothing else. Diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome when she was just seventeen, she never thought of that has her reality anymore, just her dream. She hadn't been asked out for a little over a year and was starting to seriously doubt the possibility of not only being a mother, but even a wife.

"Jenna's dad will be picking her up any minute now…can you get me that onesie she spit up on today? I want to give it to him so he can take it home and wash it." Katherine asked Hannah, placing one baby on a blanket on the floor as she bounced another on her hip.

"Yeah. Where should I put it?" She asked, ignoring little Joshua as he cried from the high chair, the Cheerios out of his reach. Katherine huffed; trying to control her anger towards her coworker as she gently moved some Cheerios towards his little hands. As if right on cue, Little Jenna Kelly's father walked through the door to the infant room, a car seat in one hand and a diaper bag in the other.

"Hi, Mr. Kelly." Katherine said with a smile, walking over to the single father. Jack Kelly had just recently enrolled his daughter in daycare and still wasn't quite used to it yet, having it only been barely a week. He was rather nervous about putting his daughter in the care of strangers at first, but Katherine was very well prepared and reassured him many times that little Jenna would be in good hands. And she was, he could tell. "Jenna took a two hour nap today, so I hope she sleeps for you tonight." Katherine smiled, gently handing the four-month-old to her father.

"So do I." He joked as he kissed his daughter's forehead softly, bending down to place her in her car seat. "And please, call me Jack. None of this formal stuff, Katherine." He smiled at Katherine for a moment before turning his attention back to buckling his daughter into her car seat.

"Alright, Jack." Katherine said with a matching smile, suddenly remembering the dirty onesie. "Oh, and Jenna spit up on her onesie today…" She began, taking the onesie from Hannah and handing it to Jack who was now standing up, his daughter secure in her car seat. "I thought you'd like to wash it or something." She said, handing it to him.

"Oh, thanks. Yeah I noticed her spare outfit." He chuckled. "Figured there was a mishap."

"There always is in this room. So we'll see you at seven tomorrow?" She double-checked.

"Yep, same time as always. You two have a good day." He smiled as he waved to both the adults in the room and turned to leave the infant room.

"You, too, Jack." Katherine waved back, enjoying hearing herself say his first name instead of 'Mr. Kelly'.

 **The next evening…**

"You go ahead and get home, Hannah." Katherine said, rocking Jenna in the chair. "Jenna is the last one here and her dad will be here soon enough. I can handle just this sweet little one."

"You sure?" Hannah asked, looking up at the clock, reading 5:15 PM. Katherine simply nodded, smiling down at the infant with drooping eyelids in her arms. "Okay. Have a nice weekend, Kathy."

"You, too." Katherine said nonchalantly, the little brown eyes looking into her similar ones. Katherine rocked Jenna for a while, getting her to sleep just as her father walked through the door. "Oh, Jack. I'm sorry I just rocked her to sleep." Katherine frowned in a hushed tone, careful not to wake Jenna just yet.

Jack waved his hand coolly. "It's nothing, Katherine. If you hadn't gotten her to sleep just now she would've fallen asleep on the ride home." He said, smiling down at his little girl fast asleep in her arms." Wow…it's real weird to see her asleep in someone else's arms." He chuckled, tugging at his construction vest, still dirty from work.

"What about her mother?" Katherine asked, instantly regretting what she had said. "Oh geez, I'm sorry I wasn't thinking. That's not something for me to ask about, I'm sorry." She said, mentally cursing her big mouth.

"No, I get it. I'd wonder, too." Jack said, sadness in his blue eyes. "She's got her eyes." He bent down and got out Jenna's pacifier in case she woke up and let Katherine gently place her in the car seat. Jenna stirred a little and Jack placed the pacifier in her little mouth instantly hushing her. "She uh…she left us. We were married and she stayed around for Jenna's birth but never really wanted kids. She cheated on me and left me for her boss." He chuckled bitterly at the memory of Oscar Delancy taking his wife, Sarah from him so easily. "Jenna was three weeks old when she was well enough to pack up and move in with him…letting me know she wouldn't be coming back by placing the stacks of divorce papers on my nightstand. I guess she'd been thinking about divorcing me for a while."

"Oh my God…Jack, that's terrible. I'm so sorry. You and Jenna didn't deserve that." Katherine said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Maybe it was inappropriate, but she didn't care. She felt awful from the little family and wanted to try and show it some way.

"Thanks." He said, the corner of his lips turning up a little. "That means a lot. You know I really feel safe when you watch her. You treat her like she's your own."

"Well I won't lie; she's a beautiful little girl and one of my favorites in the room." She smiled at the sleeping infant buckled in the car seat. "I'd be happy to take her home with me any day."

"Might take you up on that." Jack joked, picking up the car seat by the handle before smiling at Katherine one last time. "You have a good weekend, Katherine. See you Monday. Thanks for all you do. I really appreciate it."

"Oh, of course, Jack. Anything I can do to help." Katherine smiled, her heart warming at his words. "See you Monday."

As she watched the single father leave, his little sleeping baby in tow, Katherine realized something she hadn't thought of in a long time-love.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow! Thanks for the reviews on my last chapter! I'm not necessarily 100% sure of where I'm going with this, but I have a general idea in my head. Anyways, I decided to make Jack a construction worker because it seemed to fit. It's a dirtier job that is messy and outside (kind of like a newsie, huh?). Katherine's PCOS diagnosis is based off of me, as is working in the infant room in a daycare. And Hannah…that's based off of my coworker. ;) Thank you all for following and reviewing! Reviews keep me going. :)**

As the black truck pulled into the garage and the door shut, Jack could hear his daughter begin to stir from the back seat. He swiftly unbuckled himself and opened the door to Jenna's side. "Hi there, baby girl." He said with a smile, cooing quietly to his daughter, her tiny eyebrows furrowing as she began to wake up, a small cry coming from her lips. Jack began to unbuckle her from her car seat and watched as her pacifier fatefully fell from her mouth, tumbling onto the carpeted floor of the truck and bounced down onto the dirty garage floor. Jack mumbled some swear word under his breath and picked it up off the floor, as Jenna's loud cries bounced around the garage walls. "Hey, shh. It's okay, baby." He cooed tryingly, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, hoping to help soothe her. Jack slung the diaper bag full of necessities for Jenna over his shoulder and gently picked her up out her car seat.

Jack carried his daughter inside and dropped the diaper bag to the floor with no care. He kicked off his shoes and took off his work vest all the while still hearing his daughter scream and cry in his ear. He loved being a dad, but her hated being a single dad. He remembered how excited he was when Sarah had said she was expecting. He remembered all the little moments they had shared when she was pregnant and in the first three weeks of Jenna's life. He had been the one to name her, Sarah saying she was too exhausted. So he chose the name Jenna, the name they had both thought of (although Sarah did so half-heartedly) a few weeks previous to her birth. He wanted his wife to like their daughter's name. Jack ran a hand over his face and bit his lower lip, swaying back and forth in an attempt to calm Jenna, failing yet again. "You hungry? I bet that's all you want, huh?" Jack asked her, jogging over the countertop and opening a cabinet quickly. He one-handedly opened the container of formula and made her a bottle, struggling as she turned her little body in his arms. She was a strong little girl, even at only four months.

Once the bottle was finally ready and warm for Jenna to digest, Jack sat down on his couch and fed his daughter as she greedily drank. He let out a frustrated sigh and let his head rest against the back of the couch. "Finally." He mumbled, tired from the day's long work. As he looked down at his daughter, he saw her big brown eyes looking up at him. Sarah used to look at him that way. He remembers so clearly that's he used to look at him that way, and so often, too.

 _"Please, Jack? They've hurt all day and you weren't here to take care of them…" A very pregnant Sarah pouted to her husband of two years, her big chocolate brown eyes looking at him the way she knew he couldn't ever possibly resist. She stretched her feet towards him as much as she could, begging him to rub them for her._

 _"Anything for the mother of my baby." Jack winked at her, kissing her stomach once before rubbing her sore feet. "How yah feeling besides these feet, babe?" He asked his wife, rubbing one foot at a time and alternating in between._

 _"I feel like I hate being pregnant. I sincerely hate it in every possible way, Jack. I'm tired no matter how many naps I take, I already have too many stretch marks than I can count, and my feet! My feet always hurt!" Sarah complained, her eyes welling up with tears as she listed her objections of carrying a child. "Ugh, and I'm always so emotional!"_

 _"Well I think you look beautiful." Jack said, taking a mental note of her list of pains, considering each and every one of them. "I'd rather have you cry than yell at me." He winked at her, kissing her big toe and nearly being kicked in the face due to her ticklishness._

 _"I suppose that's true, huh?" She smirked, closing her eyes. "See? I'm already tired. I took a nap only an hour ago." Sarah sighed._

 _"I'll let you sleep, babe." Jack said as he stood up and kissed her forehead. "Love you."_

 _He didn't hear her respond, assuming she was already half asleep, because boy did she look it As he was beginning to boil water for dinner, he picked up his cell phone and dialed a number he had never dialed before. "Hello, Diamond Nail Salon, how can I help you?" A high pitched voice said on the other side of the line._

 _"Hi, uh, I'd like to get a pedicure appointment for my wife? Do I have to set up an appointment or can I just get a gift certificate or something and she can go in whenever she wants?" He asked the woman, never having even set foot in a salon before. He opened up a cabinet and pulled out the box of spaghetti, preparing to make Sarah's favorite meal tonight._

 _"We have certificates, if that's what you prefer, sir." The woman informed him kindly._

 _"Awesome, I'll take one of those." Jack smiled into the phone, sneaking a peek at his sleeping wife on the couch. "She'll love it. She's been telling me how her feet have been hurting lately. Oh, she's pregnant, by the way…are pedicures safe for babies? You know, with all the chemicals?"_

Jack was snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed Jenna stopped sucking on her bottle, the formula gone. "You were starving, man." He chuckled, kissing her forehead. "Love you, little girl." He said, placing her in the Pack-N-Play in the living room. "Daddy's gunna go make some food for himself now." He kissed her forehead as he'd done to the mother that she would never know so many times.

After Jack had eaten a sandwich and some chips and drunk a well-deserved beer, he put Jenna to sleep, hoping she'd sleep at least five hours in a row tonight. He found himself falling asleep on the couch at nine thirty…because being a single dad was really damn hard.

 **The nest day, Saturday afternoon…**

Katherine walked over to her purple water bottle, taking a long sip of the cold water before stretching her arms for a moment and jogging back to the volleyball court. It was another Saturday afternoon, one forty-five to be exact, and like usual, she was joining a group of friends to play volleyball as they did every Saturday when it was nice out. Hearst Park was her favorite park in Santa Fe, with the two sand volleyball courts, three little playgrounds and one big one, and a few basketball courts here and there. "Am I in, or is it Jessa's turn?" She asked her group of friends, one of their usual members sick, making the teams uneven.

"I'll go in if you want a break." Jessa said to her, Katherine nodding and sitting down by her water bottle under the shaded picnic tables. She adjusted her blue tank top, a sports bra showing a little underneath, and made sure her black spandex weren't riding up on her again. She watched as her friends began playing again, five to five instead of their usual six.

Soon enough everyone wanted to take a break and joined her at the picnic tables. They were all nearly attached to their water bottles and she swore some of her friends began to people-watch. "Hey, Kathy, hot single dad alert! Whoo!" Jessa winked to her single friend, her boyfriend Matt elbowing her with a smirk on his face. "Yeah, Katherine, go get some." He joined in the teasing.

"Shut up, both of you." Katherine said with a raised eyebrow, taking another sip of her water.

"You aren't even glancing his way." Jessa pouted, pointing to their right in the direction of a dark haired man pushing a baby stroller through the park, a woman nowhere in sight. Katherine turned her head and hesitantly looked at the man and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "Look at her eyes! Matt, I told you she'd like him. He's cute!"

"No, Jess, I don't mean it like that." Katherine corrected her friend, standing up. "I watch his daughter, Jenna, at work. They just started last week. I'll be right back, I'm going to go say hi." Katherine jogged over to the father and daughter duo, casually walking through the park.

"Katherine! Hi." Jack said with a smile as he noticed his daughter's caregiver walking towards them, water bottle in hand.

"Hi, Jack. Hi, Jenna!" Katherine waved to Jack and smiled at little Jenna in the stroller. "I just noticed you two and I thought I'd say hi." Katherine smiled sweetly, smiling back at little Jenna who was cooing from her seat.

"Well I'm glad you did. Obviously Jenna is, too." He chuckled, noticing her apparel now. "Do you run?" He asked, remembering when he, too, used to come to the park when he wasn't a busy single father.

"Sometimes. I'm playing volleyball with my friends; it's something we do every Saturday while we can." She told him, pointing to her group of friends.

Jack nodded, waving at the group of young adults; Jessa waving back over enthusiastically. "I used to run here ever few days before we had this little girl." Jack smiled as Katherine interacted with his baby. "Well I should probably let you get back to your game." He shrugged as she stood up.

"You now if you ever wanted to go running again, I could watch Jenna." Katherine suggested nonchalantly.

"No, I couldn't ask you to do that. You watch her every other day of the week." He shook his head, not wanting to ask too much of her.

"No, really! Jack, I'd love to; I love Jenna!" She said with a genuine smile.

"Well, in that case, I may have to take you up on that offer." He smiled at her. "Thank you, Katherine. Good luck with that game of yours." He said, handing Jenna a rattle when he heard her begin to fuss a little.

"Thank you, Jack. Anytime." Katherine said with a smile before waving to them as they went their separate ways. When she got back to her friends she realized they'd begun another game without her. "Hey guys, if we're missing Andrew again next week I know someone who would love to take his place!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you for your reviews/follows/favorites! They make the writer in me happy. :) I'm glad you all find this so original and creative! I like to broaden the kinds of fics in my fandoms. Is there anything you'd like to see in this fic? Anything you think will happen? Are there any one shot requests you have? I'd be glad to write some more! Please keep in mind that in this AU, Davey and Les are brothers, but they have no relation to Sarah. :) Enjoy!**

Katherine rolled over in bed on Sunday, reading her alarm clock that said 8:45 AM. After having to wake up at six in the morning every day of the week for work, her internal clock never seemed to let her sleep in too late. She rolled herself out of bed and put her long brown hair up into a messy bun, walking to her little kitchen. Her apartment was rather nicely sized, two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen and the living room connected to the kitchen. Granted they weren't very large rooms, but for Katherine it was a nice size since she was on her own.

With an old high school theatre tee shirt and black shorts on, no makeup, and messy hair, Katherine began to make herself some breakfast. She cracked open some eggs, whisked them together in a mug and poured them into a hot skillet. She chopped up some ham and broccoli and a little cheese, placing the atop her egg mix. While that cooked she strolled over to the other side of her kitchen. She began to brew herself some coffee and placed her coffee creamer beside her empty mug. Flipping her eggs over to form an omelet, Katherine heard her phone go off. She picked it up from the countertop and noticed it was from Jack Kelly. She remembered when Jessa had teased her about having his number yesterday when they were taking a break from their game, but she easily defended herself by showing her the list of all the parents she'd known from work, having watched their child every day for a year.

 _"I need their number so I can text or call them if their baby has a fever and has to go home or even to update a nervous parents on how their child is doing. That's mostly how I clamed Jack down when Jenna first started daycare a week ago. He was so nervous leaving his daughter with strangers but I assured him I would let him know how she's doing throughout the day." Katherine said, rolling her brown eyes._

 _"Or you're a sneaky-ass babysitter." She smirked._

 _"I'm not a babysitter. I'm twenty-four, not twelve, Jessa." Katherine nearly snorted at her friend's comment. "C'mon, let's get back to the game…"_

Katherine flipped her omelet onto a plate, pouring her hot coffee and adding a load of creamer to it in her favorite mug. She sat down on her loveseat to watch a little TV and eat her breakfast before getting ready for the day's activities. Once she had finished her breakfast she got ready for her day; she got dressed in a maroon skirt and a white V-neck shirt, letting her long brown locks fall around her shoulders after brushing it and straightening a few pieces. She wore natural makeup, but a brighter pink lip, and slipped on her favorite black flats.

 _Ready to go? Shower is at 10:30._ Katherine read as she looked at her friend's text, grabbing her little black purse and replying back. _Yep. Leaving now. See you there._

Katherine pulled up to the house at ten thirty, fifteen minutes earlier than the shower; prepared and ready as usual. She knocked on the door, a little pink gift bag in her hand.

"It's open! Just come it." A loud voice from inside said. _Medda sounds the same._ Katherine smirked before opening the white door. "Oh, it's our Katherine, David!" Medda said, heavily pregnant with their first child. Katherine said hello and opened her arms to the woman who struggled to waddle over to her. "How are you, honey?"

"I'm great. You look amazing, Medda!" Katherine smiled, glancing down at her rounded stomach. "Pregnancy suits you."

"Well it's filled with nausea around all the foods my husband likes to eat, but besides that I think it's alright." Medda winked at her friend.

"Davey! Hi, you dad-to-be!" Katherine squealed happily, hugging the tall, dark haired man. "How excited are you to be having two girls around the house now? The ratio seems a little off, huh?"

"The ratio is way off, Kathy." David Jacobs said with the playful roll of his eyes. "We're really excited." He said, smiling at his wife's pregnant belly from across the room.

"Oh! Where do I put your present?" Katherine asked, almost forgetting the bag in her head.

"Katherine…" David shook his head, remembering telling her she didn't need to bring one.

"Kathy, you've helped a lot with this baby shower already, you don't need to bring us anything else." Medda said. "We told you that already." David interjected.

"Be quiet, say thank you, and let me place this on your gift table. Where is that?" Katherine said, hands on her hips as she mocked David, her older cousin.

"It's over there, you stubborn-ass woman." David smirked, pointing to a round table.

"David!" Medda half-scolded, half-laughed. "Oh who am I kidding, you pin-pointed her personality." Medda laughed, sitting down in a chair at their table near the kitchen.

"Please insult me more." Katherine winked playfully at the couple, placing the gift bag on the requested table. "You clean up nice, Davey. You look better in these clothes than in that dirty vest you have to wear to work." Katherine teased her older cousin back, sticking her tongue out at him after he'd done the same to her.

As the minutes passed, more and more people showed up at the house of the expectant couple. More and more people, friends, coworkers, and family members filed in through the single door. A few children came, too, the parents unable to find a babysitter on a Sunday. Nearly ten minutes into the shower, everyone heard a knock on the door as they began to play their first baby shower game. Medda shifted in her seat, beginning to get up and get the door. Katherine stopped her, gently pushing her shoulder back onto her seat on the couch next to David. "I can get it, Medda. Enjoy your shower." She smiled before walking over to the small white door and opening it, turning her head back to smile as the crowd of people let out a shout of simultaneous laughter.

Katherine opened the door and was taken aback as she saw no other than the little family she seemed to keep running into. There was Jack, standing in a pair of casual but nice looking jeans and a white cotton tee shirt, holding Jenna in one arm and a diaper bag in the other. He looked exasperated and stressed out as he struggled to dig through the diaper bag with one hand, obviously in search of something. He didn't even notice the door had opened until Katherine said, "Well, hello again" with the cutest smile he'd seen from her yet. He looked up and saw her smile-nearly a smirk-and couldn't help but give her one back, despite how he was feeling. "Need some help?" She offered, seeing Jenna was nearly in tears, dry streaks of what she knew were once tears streaming down the little girl's face showed Katherine that it had been a rough morning for the two of them.

"Oh God, yes please." Jack said with a loud sigh as her passed Jenna to Katherine's inviting arms. He then stepped inside the house with the two of them, still looking for something in the diaper bag. "It's just uh…not been a great morning for us. I swear I've been looking for her pacifier for the past hour…" Jack said, running a hand over his face and through his dusty hair.

"It doesn't look like it went too, well, huh?" Katherine said in a higher pitched voice, mostly directed toward Jenna. "I'm sorry to hear about your morning, Jack." Katherine said sincerely, looking up at Jack, the three of them close together in the tightly spaced entryway.

Jack shrugged, finding her rattle and hoping that would do. He held it out to Jenna with a smile, hoping she'd be intrigued, but all she did was let out a cry and whimper into Katherine's neck. "I'm sorry, Katherine, I'm just not in the best mood today. Excuse both of us." He apologized with a sad smirk.

"Jack, don't apologize. All parents deal with these days. Even I do some days at work." Katherine said truthfully. "So how do you know Medda and Davey?" She asked him curiously.

"I've worked with Davey for the past few years. He's a good friend. He's helping a lot with this uh…divorce stuff." He said quietly.

"I should've guessed you worked together." Katherine said, rubbing soothing circles on Jenna's little back. "I'm Davey's youngest cousin. His mom and my dad are siblings. His mom is great." She smiled, ignoring the thought of her father being related to some people who were so wonderful…so different than him.

"It's a small world." Jack nodded, glancing to his left and immediately letting out a groan as he stared at the gift table. "I forgot the gift, too."

"I know these two. They won't mind, trust me, Jack." Katherine tried to reassure him, but saw it did no good. "What if you bring it in sometime this week to daycare and I deliver it to them?"

"Would you?" He asked with an expression that neared a grimace of remorse.

"Of course. Anytime." Katherine smiled. "Well I suppose we should join everyone in the family room." She suggested, leading the way, Jack following. Medda nearly demanded Katherine hand Jenna over to her, saying something about "loving the darling thing". Once all the party games had ended and the presents had been opened, all but Jack's which he profusely apologized for and assured would be given to them soon. The party had then moved onto it's final stage, lunch and time to mingle and talk.

"I feel like we've been harassing you all weekend." Jack smirked as he took a seat beside Katherine. Katherine looked up at him and smiled, noticing how much more relaxed her looked now that Jenna had calmed down and was been fawned over by Medda.

"You absolutely have not! I love seeing you." She assured him, then frowning at her choice of words. "I don't mean…I mean I like seeing you two…I mean-" She sighed and closed her eyes, grimacing at his laugh. "I'm bad with words."

"Lucky for you, I am, too." Jack smirked at her, receiving one back. The two carried on a small conversation as they ate their food, smiling as the couple cut into the pink cake. "You know, I'm a little jealous of these two." He admitted, explaining his statement further when Katherine looked confused. "I'm really happy that they got a little one on the way and have a great marriage and all that. But you know, I just get kind of to thinking about Sarah and what our marriage was-or what I thought it was-before Jenna came." He glanced over at Katherine, her big brown eyes looking at him with such sorrow as she heard him tell his sad tale. "I'm a pretty awful dad…sometimes I wonder if Sarah only left me because of Jenna being born. I wonder that if she hadn't been conceived, would I still be happily married? But then I figure it wasn't her. She had been cheating before all of that pregnancy stuff, right? I don't know…I just…I hate that she'll never grow up with two loving parents." He sighs, feeling Katherine move a hand to his shoulder, trying to comfort him with his inner demons.

"Jack, don't say that. You love Jenna so much, I know you do. I can see it in everything you do. You're such a good father. It's only natural to think that way!" She defends his confidence, looking over at Jenna playing on the floor, several mothers fawning over her.

"I'm not as great as you make me seem." He sighs. "You just don't get it. She'll never have a mother…and either way it's my fault. I got her pregnant so she left, or I wasn't a good enough husband, so she left."

"No, I get it all too well, Jack." Katherine says, moving her hand to cross under her breasts as she stares down at her empty plate. "My mother wanted children so terribly bad. She got pregnant with me and ended up dying in childbirth. It was a hard labor and I was in the NICU for three weeks. My father never wanted any children. He was always bitter and angry towards me. He missed my mother so much and I think…I think that's why whenever he sees me he feel so angry-because I killed his love. I never grew up without a mother. Not even a mother figure. I get it, Jack, I do." Katherine spoke quietly, feeling a strong arm on the small of her back, rubbing small circles on it as she had done with Jenna.

"I'm sorry about that, Katherine. I really am." He says lowly.

"If you ever need help with Jenna-or anything-don't hesitate to call me, okay? Okay, Jack?" Katherine told him seriously, looking up at him and changing to topic, not wanting to cry here and in front of him.

"For sure." He nodded. "And if you ever want to talk-or anything else-don't hesitate to call me, okay, Katherine?" He told her with a small smile.

Katherine smiled back at him, finally noticing his magnificent clear blue eyes. "For sure."


	4. Chapter 4

**N/A: Thank you all so much for all the support you're giving this fic! It makes me super happy and excited to write for you all. :) Keep coming at me with some suggestions for one shots or things you want to see in this fic! Quick thing to take not of: I did change the name of this fic from 'Something I Never Thought Of' to 'I Never Planned on You' because I didn't really like the previous name. I hope you're all okay with that! Also, once this fic in finished, I have a REALLY good, fresh AU that I'm excited to write about! ;) Review, follow, and favorite. Enjoy!**

Katherine reached on her tip toes to grab a glass from a tall cabinet in her kitchen. She pulled out a clear glass and poured some lemonade into it, taking a small sip before hearing her phone go off from the countertop. She looked at the caller ID and saw Jack's name there. Picking it up curiously she answered, "Hi, Jack?"

"Hey Katherine. I hate to ask you this soon…but could you come watch Jenna for me? I have some uh…court stuff to deal with." He said, Katherine being able to hear the stress and sadness in his voice. "I can text you my address…if you can. If you want to…" He sighed heavily again. "I'm bad with words, too."

"Jack, I'd love to. Just send me your address and I'll be there in a little bit." Katherine assured him, a smile on her face as he struggled with his wording. "It's really not a problem at all."

"Okay. Thanks. Thanks a lot, Katherine." Jack said before hanging up.

It took not even a minute before Katherine got a text message from him with his address and another thanks. Smiling at his gratitude, Katherine grabbed her purse and car keys and got in her car.

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Katherine had barely pulled up to the little white house before Jack came rushing out the front door, Jenna in one protective arm and a bag with what Katherine assumed were divorce documents and papers were in the other. He wore a white dress shirt, black dress pants, a black jacket, and shiny black dress shoes. _'He cleans up nice.'_ Katherine couldn't help but think to herself, reminiscing about him in his usual wore jacket and concrete covered jeans and shoes, a sweaty brow and rough hands, but gentle smile. She tried to brush off his looks, wondering when she started to think about him like that and if it was wrong of her to do so.

"Thanks, Katherine. I have only ten minutes to get there and I can't be late." Jack said, throwing his bag of papers in his truck parked in the driveway and handing Jenna to Katherine and gently kissing Jenna's head. "I didn't have time to show you where everything is and all, so just go ahead and look through the drawers, I'm okay with it. I gotta go. Thanks!"

Katherine watched as he got in his truck and rather speedily drove away to court. She bounced Jenna gently in her arms as she walked into the unlocked house. Kicking her shoes off once she walks in and placing them near the door, Katherine took a look around the house. It was rather small, but it was only a grown man and his infant daughter living here. She could see why he had bought it, assuming it was bought when he first married his wife. It was the perfect little house for a newly married couple who wanted to start a family. The kitchen was rather nice, a little island in the middle of it, cabinets covering the kitchen and its dark wooden flooring. A dishwasher, sink, and stainless steel fridge contributed to the room and Katherine was rather surprised to see dirty dishes in the sink and dishwasher, not knowing Jack could cook. She made a mental note to wash those for him tonight whenever Jenna was put down for a nap, knowing he had a lot going on with his in-the-process-divorce and all his time he'll have to spend in court for the next while. She takes a quick glance around the small family room, a couch and a padded rocking chair adorning it with a TV against the wall. A small coffee table lay in front of the couch and a tall lamp stood beside it.

She walked down the single hallway and found the bathroom to her right and Jenna's room to her left. The room was painted a shade of light pink, a white cradle in the corner with a fuzzy blanket over the edge of it. There was a small dresser with a changing pad atop it and a white wooden closet was attached to a wall. Katherine turned around and saw Jack's room at the very end of the hallway. She hesitated before opening the door, her hand on the silver handle as she wondered whether she should enter or not. Curiosity getting the better of her, she twisted the door open and entered the room painted a cream color, a queen sized bed against one wall with a brown wooden headboard attached to it. The bedspread was a simple cream, navy blue, brown, and black striped comforter. The bed wasn't made, but Katherine didn't necessarily expect it to be. He was a single father, so making your bed probably didn't come to his mind right away in the morning. There was a wooden nightstand by the bed's left side with a small lamp and a glasses case on it. A wooden dresser with a tall mirror was across from the bed, which Katherine assumed had been his wife's when they were married. She couldn't picture Jack wanting a huge mirror to check out his outfit.

Katherine slowly walked out of his room after taking one last look around, not sure why she is so fascinated by it. Surely she shouldn't be so fascinated by a man's room, should she? As if on cue, Jenna began to stir in her arms, distracting her from her errant thoughts. Katherine had already distinguished her cries by now and by the time tears were falling down her face she knew it was time for a bottle.

Walking into the kitchen, she looking around for formula and bottles. She opened every cabinet and drawer until she finally found the things she was looking for. Quickly scooping formula into the warm water in the clear bottle, the auburn haired woman began to shake the bottle hurriedly to ease the infant's tears. Soon enough it was ready and she settled down onto the couch to feed Jenna, her small head resting in the crevice of her arm. As the baby suckled, Katherine looked around the house a little more. There weren't pictures, not only of family members, but also none of him or Jenna. She recalled a few she saw in Jenna's room, but that only contained her framed birth certificate and a picture of Jack standing beside a woman she assumed was Jenna's grandmother in the hospital. The older woman was holding the newborn, cradling head and smiling down at her as Jack smiled at the two of them.

Once Jenna had finished her bottle Katherine stood up to burp her. She held her upwards and patted her back as she walked around the rather bare house some more. She normally wouldn't do this, as it felt so snoopy and intruding, but she couldn't help herself; something about Jack was so intriguing and open. She wanted to know more about him. Jenna quietly burped and rested her head on Katherine's shoulder as she continued exploring the house. Soon enough she found herself in Jack's room once again, opening his closet door when she noticed a shirt or two falling out of the door. Carefully she opened it and watched as a few dress shirts fell to the floor. She hung them back up on their hangers with one hand, gently kissing Jenna's lightly brown haired head. Closing the closet door, she looked at his nightstand and smiled at his glasses case. _'Jack would look cute in glasses…he should wear them some day. I wonder why he doesn't?"_ She thought to herself, nearly gasping out loud at her considerations. _"Do I…like him?"_ She wondered, glancing at Jenna and seeing her eyelids were drooping quickly. She walked out of Jack's room-a dangerous place for a young, single woman working at a daycare, apparently-and into Jenna's room, gently laying her down in the crib. She watched as the little girl lulled herself to sleep in seconds, both hands reaching behind her head, the adorable little position she always slept in. Katherine smiled at the infant before walking out of the pink room, wondering if this is what a mother does every day; smile as their child falls asleep, just watching their miracle sleep for a while. The smile soon becomes bittersweet as she realizes the many obstacles that stand in her way.

With the click of the light switch flicking off and the shut of the door, she makes her way to the kitchen where she begins to wash the dishes for him, hoping to help in a small way for the single, hard-working father. She felt so terrible for him. She knew all he wanted is to be a husband and father, and while he was one of those two, Katherine knew he missed being a husband. And she could also tell by the pained look he wears whenever she holds his daughter that he misses a certain dark haired woman holding his child. It kills her every time she thinks of this and can feel a pang in her heart at the thought of his grief-the grief he is facing as she thinks of it and him.

Once the dishes had been washed and dried, she placed the towel where she had found it, laying out on the island. She folded it neatly and placed the stacks of now-clean dishes beside it. She jumped as she heard the door open with a creak and Jack walked in, unannounced. His face was somber, redness showing in his usually so clear blue of eyes, and tear streaked stained cheeks finished off the heart breaking picture. "Jack?" Katherine said quietly, frozen in her place as she saw him slowly look up at her, his eyes watering even more at her worried expression, causing him to look away from her.

Jack wandered over to the couch and fell back on it, almost like in the trance of a zombie. A man Katherine had never seen before was standing behind him, and she had only noticed him once Jack had moved away. He looked Jack's age, with sandy blonde hair and a limp leg. He had no crutch with him and it almost looked as if he was born with it that way. "I'm Jack's lawyer, but we've been friends since we were born. I wanted to make sure he got home okay. He's a little uh…beat up right now. Court was rough. Take it easy on him, Katherine." He says, turning to leave until Katherine stopped him.

"Wait! How did you know my name?" She asked him before he left, hundreds of questions and worries running through her mind.

"How could I not? You're all he's been talking about." He says quietly, his hand gripping the door handle. Katherine blushes, not sure how to respond or what to even think about his statement. How was he talking about her? Was it simply friendly? That she was an amazing caretaker? Or was it something more?

"But what happened at court?" Katherine asked him, stepping towards the man as he opened the door and turned to face her again.  
"I'll let him tell you that...that is, if he wants to." He sighs before taking a step out the door. "The name's Crutchie, by the way. Not professionally, but I take it you're Jack's friend. That means you're mine. Have a nice day, Katherine." He smiles to her before shutting the door and leaving her with a nonresponsive Jack.

She slowly walks to him on the couch, taking a seat next to the man who had covered his face with his hands; his shoulders shaking with what she knew were tears. "Jack? Jack, what happened? What is it?"

"Sarah was there." He said simply, muffled through his tears. _"Oh thank God that's it. He's just emotional over seeing the woman who had hurt him."_ Katherine thought with a breath of relief.

"I know it's hard to see her again, Jack…" She began, rubbing soothing circles on his back as she had done once before.

"It's not seeing her that made me act like this." He said, looking up at her now, his eyes red and tears on his face. He took a deep breath, sniffling before looking into her eyes, his piercing hers.

"Then what is it?" Katherine asked with worry, her heart pounding. She watches as Jack takes a deep breath again and then spits out the cold, evil words with a heart-breaking sob.

"Sarah's fighting for custody over Jenna."

 **A/N: I AM SORRY I DID THAT TO YOU. I had to include something shocking! Not everything can be just romance! I have a plan that will work out in the end, trust me. :) Anyways, Crutchie is in it now! Yay! Review, Follow, and Favorite!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Again, thank you for all your reviews, follows, and favorites! It makes my day! I promise, all will turn out well in the end. Don't give up hope on Jack and Jenna! Is there a certain character you want to see more of? Crutchie, Medda, Davey, etc.? Is there a character you want me to bring in that I haven't added yet? Any one shot requests? I'd be happy to write for you! Enjoy this next chapter, fellow fansies. :) As Katherine would sing: "Let's begin!"**

 _"Sara's fighting for custody over Jenna."_

Katherine's mouth ran dry at his piercing words. She watched as he covered his face again, loud sobs racking his body and she wondered how he kept his emotions to himself in the courtroom. His entire body shook as he let out tragic cries for his daughter-the one he had always wanted and had finally gotten. He was such an amazing father and had taken care of her the short four months she had lived through. Katherine couldn't believe Sarah would gain custody of her-even partial custody-but the possibility hung above their heads and made them hold their breaths and feel as though a part of them was being ripped away.

She found herself being able to do nothing other than wrapping her arms around the older man's body, his usually strong and put-together stature leaning into her, his head against her chest as he sobbed. She just held him like that-not even saying a single word of reply to his sickening news. She hadn't looked at the clock to see the time that had passed as they sat that way, his tears coming to a quieter cry of sorts, his breath still uneven and his eyes she was sure would be full of pain if she looked into them. She finally began to lull him with soothing words, whispering words with no meaning or cause to relax his mind slowly, if it was possible. Eventually he sat up, looking away from her, and dried his many tears, eyes still red he looked at Katherine who herself had tear-stained cheeks, two tears falling from the corner of his eyes as he looked at her.

"Why're you crying?" He mumbled quietly, nearly grimacing as he looked at her now-wet shirt. Her black V-neck had darker wet stains where his tears had fallen.

"I just…neither of you deserve this. I've learned to care so much for both of you and this shouldn't be happening." Katherine said equally as quietly, her soothing voice filling his ears. "I think you need to see her. She's sleeping now…but just go look at her. It might make you feel better. Please, Jack."

He nodded, slowly getting up off the couch and walking to his precious daughter's room. Katherine moved off the couch and took a few deep breaths, viciously wiping the tears from her face. She walked into the kitchen and began to make the two of them some hot cocoa, doing what her mother always used to do with her whenever she had been crying or upset. Hugs, kind words, and cocoa were what clamed little Katherine down. Apparently it worked on grown men, too.

Katherine began to boil some water on the stovetop when she had found the kettle in one of the lower cabinets and dug around the pantry until she found hot cocoa mix. The water had come to a boil soon enough and she poured it into two mugs filled with cocoa mix. Stirring each swiftly, Katherine carried the warm mugs with a spoon in each and placed them on the coffee table. She slowly walked to Jenna's room and leaned against the doorframe and observed as Jack watched his daughter sleep calmly. Soon enough he turned to leave the sleeping infant, his tears dried and breathing even. He was barely shocked in the slightest way when he saw Katherine leaning on the doorframe, witnessing the scene that lay before her.

"I made us some cocoa." She whispered quietly, careful not to wake Jenna. She tip-toed back to the living room and took a seat on the couch once again. Jack followed suit, the house creaking in one spot as they walked over it.

"Sorry about your shirt…it's kinda wet in one spot." Jack mumbled, picking up the cocoa and blowing on it a bit before taking a sip. "You make good cocoa, too."

"It's just the powdered kind in a container, Jack." She smiled at him gently.

"I know but I never put in the right amount. It tastes like water or it's too chocolatey. You're a wizard." He smirks, taking another sip of the warm liquid and licking his lips, causing Katherine to bite hers.

"Well thank you. I'd be glad to teach you my wizarding skills." She smiles back at him, taking a sip of the beverage herself. "And don't worry about the shirt. It'll go away by the end of tonight."

"Oh geez…Katherine it's almost eleven. Don't you have to get up early for work tomorrow?" Jack asked, nearly hitting himself on the head.

"No. I have off tomorrow. I get every other Wednesday off." She assured him, scooting closer to him and touching his shoulder with her small hand.

Jack glanced over where her hand touched him as it had many times before. He looked at her and smirked, looking in her familiar eyes as he took the warm mug in her hands and placed it back on the coffee table. "Good." He muttered before cupping her face with his large, warm hands, rough from the construction work he does on a daily basis. He leaned towards her, his lips brushing against hers as one hand moved from her hand to her slim waist, one hand tilting her chin up towards him. He smirked against her lips as he felt her kissing him back and slowly moved one hand to the small of her back and pressed her body against his. Katherine pulled back then, her eyes wide with a look that almost resembled a mix of fear and shock. "Katherine…I didn't mean to-"

"Jack. You're hurting. I don't want to take advantage of you." She tells him gently, noticing she was nearly sitting on top of him.

"You aren't taking advantage of me. I've wanted to do that for a while now." He tells her, one hand moving to find her hip once again.

"Jack, please." Katherine said, looking up at him with big eyes that made him scoot away from her. She bit her lower lip and looked down at her hands that lay in her lap. "I just don't feel comfortable with doing that. I would if you were sure-"

"Which I assured you I am," He interrupted her.

"But I have other reasons. I can't do that, Jack, I'm sorry." She says, her cheeks burning a bright red color. "I'm really sorry. I do like you, Jack."

"I moved too fast…I scared you, didn't I?" He said, angry at himself for his stupid behavior. He knew he was better than that. He treated her like a piece of meat and most likely ruined everything between them.

"Not for the reasons you think you did." She said, looking up into his blue eyes. "I really like you, Jack." She said, gently tilting her head up to kiss him softly before pulling back. "You're an amazing father. Sarah is completely unfit to be a mother; she left you two! I know you'll get full custody of Jenna. Trust me, Jack it will be okay." She watched as he nodded to her, pressing their foreheads together. "Want me to stay and watch Jenna? Just let me get my clothes quick from my apartment. I'm only five minutes away, tops."

"It's you're call. I would be all for it. I would even cook you a mean French Toast in the morning before I have to go in for work at eight." He smirked, kissing the corner of her mouth as it rose.

"I would love that." She told him, standing up. "I'll go get my things now. I'll be back in fifteen minutes." She said as she grabbed her keys and headed for the door.

"Bye," Jack said with a goofy smile as he watched her wave and slip out the front door.

Katherine came back in fifteen minutes as promised; carrying a small bag filled with pajamas, and extra set of clothes, makeup, and some other little necessities. She walked in and saw Jack slumped on the couch, completely focused on the baseball game on the flat screen TV ahead of him. His feet were kicked up against the coffee table and the cocoa was gone.

"I'm back." Katherine announced quietly, causing him to turn around and smile at her. She smiled back, a rosy blush appearing on her cheeks once more.

"You take my bed," He told her as he sat up and pointed to his door at the end of the hallway. "I can take the couch. I've done it before." He jokes.

"Are you sure? I'd be fine with the couch. I don't want to kick you out of your own bed." She offers to him.

"I'm sure. Just let me grab a blanket and I'll hit the sack." He smiles, carrying two mugs and spoons into the kitchen. "You even did my dishes? You really do have wizarding powers…'Kathy Potter'…how does that sound? They could make a whole book series and a movie about you and your domestic talents." He said, her manicured eyebrow rising, causing him to smirk.

"Goodnight, Jack. Thank you." She says with a genuine smile, just like always.

"Goodnight, Kathy Potter. Anytime." He smiles at her as she walks into his rooms and closes the door.

"God, I love that girl."

Katherine changed into her pajamas and threw her hair up in a messy bun and got settled into bed-Jack's bed! She felt this feeling of excitement in the pit of her stomach and shivered at it, picking up the piece of paper that lay on one of the pillows.

"Oh, Jack…" She gasps. The paper is a quick sketch of her holding a sleeping Jenna that day at daycare. She remembered when he had first told her his story-well, part of it.

She never knew he could draw.

 **A/N: Jack was pretty depressed at the beginning and I know he seemed super happy and peppy by the end, but he's still in deep pain, trust me. He's just exhausted from crying so much and everything Katherine did helped calm him down and realize that Sarah may not get custody-even partial custody of Jenna. Also, I will explain Katherine's hesitation with Jack in a later chapter. Maybe even the next one…? (I'm still undecided!) I hope you enjoyed. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm back with another chapter! It took me a week (longer than usual…) because I got my wisdom teeth out five days ago. I wasn't really in the mood for writing another chapter as I held bags of ice to my puffy face. ;) But it really wasn't too bad at all. I chose the freezing method (so I was not at all knocked out…very awake and they talked me through what they were doing) and it only took them twenty minutes! I listened to Bonnie and Clyde during it and I never even got to intermission! Okay, all joking aside, I feel great and I'm healing wonderfully. That means I'm ready to write more chapters for you all! I hope you enjoy! Review, follow, and favorite for more. :)**

Katherine woke up that following morning. Her auburn hair fell around her shoulders, messy and tangled ringlets falling over her eyes. She rubbed her eyes and looked around the room, confused as to where she was. This wasn't her bed; she turned to look at the other side of the bed. Empty and with no strange man, just how she liked it. She picked up her phone and checked the time: seven thirty-five. Popping her retainer out of her mouth and laying it in its case, she flung her legs over the side of the bed, placing the covers neatly back into place. She inhaled the scent of French toast and then it all came back to her.

She was in Jack's bedroom.

Fixing her hair and straightening her PJs the best she could, Katherine followed the wafting scent of cinnamon and syrup to the kitchen. There stood Jack, standing with his back to her as he flipped another piece of bread on the skillet. Katherine heard the sizzle and smiled, covered in only his blue boxer shorts and a white v neck, dark hair disheveled and out of place. Yet he turned his head at the sound of her shuffling feet and saw her smiling at him from a few feet away.

He could've sworn right there that he'd never seen her so beautiful. She had no makeup on (not that she wore that much anyways), her hair was messy and piled atop her head, her little pajama shorts and college T shirt covering her slim figure. He stopped himself from drooling over her and checked on their breakfast, placing more soaked bread on the black skillet.

"Good morning." He said with a wide smile, his back towards her again as he flipped the bread. "How'd ya sleep?"

"Very well, actually. I usually don't sleep too well at other houses." Katherine said simply, walking to stand beside him so they could talk better. "How'd you sleep?" She grimaced, feeling guilty that she had kicked him off of his bed after he had such a rough day.

"Great." He said, glancing over at her face, sighing at her worried expression. "Really, Katherine, I feel fine. Don't worry about me." He said, playfully bumping her hip with his. "I'm good, kid."

"Kid?!" Katherine exclaimed, eyes wide and perfectly manicured eyebrows raised. "You cannot call me kid after what you did last night!" She said in a hushed whisper, a pink blush creeping up her features.

"Why are we whispering?" He said, matching her tone with a smirk. Now it was Katherine's turn to bump his hip with hers. "Okay, okay, I get it." He laughs as she joins him in the laughing fit. "But you're what, twenty-two? You're fresh out of college."

"I happen to be _twenty-four_ , Mr. Kelly!" She said over-dramatically with her arms crossed, sticking her pink tongue out at him.

"And I happen to be _twenty-eight_ , Miss Plumber!" He retorts, sticking his tongue back out at her. He winks at her, smirking at the pink blush he gives her with such a simple gesture, and places the finished French toast on two plates. "Syrup is right over there, as are the spoons…" He says and nods his head to the right. Katherine moves to get the finishing pieces to their breakfast and moves it to Jack's left, right where the plates are. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome." She says, pouring syrup over her plate and grabbing fork. Katherine pours them both a glass of milk and soon enough they both sit down at the small dinner table. "Oh God you were right, Jack." Katherine basically moans as she takes her first bite. "You do make a mean French toast." She says, laughing with him at her reaction.

"I try my best." He says with a smile. He looked down at his plate as they grew silent. "I uh…I hope I didn't make you too uncomfortable last night. I'm real sorry about that." He said with a penitent look on his face, eyes refusing to meet hers.

"Jack." Katherine sighed, a small smile on her face. "It's okay, really." She said as she moved her hand on top of his and gave it a little reassuring squeeze. "If anything, it was nice to feel wanted. Don't worry about it. I'm not scared off yet, am I?"

Jack looked at her from across the table and smirked, his fork squeaking as it lazily dragged along the plate's edge for a moment. "No, you haven't. And I hope you don't, Katherine." He tells her sweetly, his eyes lighting up as he looks at her with what seems like such hope, like a child on Christmas.

"Jack, what are we-if there is a 'we'? Are we just friends? Or…I don't know…dating? What's going on with us?" She asked, looking down at her plate as Jack had moments before. "Are we a couple?"

"I'd like that, Katherine. But it's not just my decision. It's yours, too." Jack tells her, getting out of his seat to kneel beside her. "Would you like us to be a couple?"

"You really need someone right Jack. And I can tell how happy you are when you're with me." She says, looking down at him with a serious face. "But I'm really happy when I'm around you."

"C'mon, Katherine, you're torturing me here. Give me an answer already!" Jack half-joked, his eyebrows raised.

"I'm glad we're finally dating." She smiled, leaning in to press a chaste kiss to his lips.

"'Finally'? It's been about a week or two." He winked at her before hearing Jenna's cries fill the air. "Looks like someone's awake." He said, letting Katherine shake her head and grab his arm as he prepared to stand up.

"You go to work. I'm watching her today, remember?" She smiled at her now-boyfriend before running off to care for his daughter. When she returned from Jenna's room, the infant in one of her arms, she saw Jack dressed in his outfit for work. His vest, dirty jeans and all. He smiled as the two of them walked towards him, Jenna absolutely purring in Katherine's arms.

"Why'd you decide to work with kids?" He asked, smiling at the two in an almost sad way. It was bittersweet that it may not always be this way. Jenna may not be fully his after court next week and Katherine may leave him someday. He'd most definitely felt that way before.

"I uh…I have PCOS so I wanted to do something with kids." She said, glancing up at him a little. "Because I may never have my own, you know?"

"I…I heard about that from Sarah. Her sister or someone has the same thing…I didn't know you had that." He says, a lump growing in his throat. "I'm sorry, Katherine. I'm really sorry to hear that."

Katherine just looked at Jenna and smiled. "It doesn't mean it can't happen. It just means it will be more difficult." She checks her phone and looks up at Jack. "You should have been out the door for work five minutes ago! Jenna would have been dropped off at daycare by now."

Jack smirked at Katherine basically pushed him out the door in an effort to make him on time for work. They had barely begun dating officially and she already cared so much for him. Jack felt his heartstrings pull a little more as he thought about the courtroom he'd be in sometime next week, fighting for his daughter…fighting for his _life_. His everything. Would Katherine eventually leave him? Is she only here for his daughter? He knows now she may never have any of her own. Is this why she wants to be with him? He tries to shake the unnerving nightmares from his thoughts as he heads off to work, leaving his girlfriend and daughter behind.

" _Katherine would never do that."_ He tells himself silently so many times he begins to say it out loud. "Katherine would never do that." He repeats silently, gripping the steering wheel harder. "Katherine is _not Sarah_. Katherine is nothing like her." He growls angrily, hitting the dashboard once before barely stopping himself from running a red light.

" _Katherine is nothing like Sarah."_ He continues to tell himself all day long at work. But he couldn't help but doubt himself, because he thought Sarah was an angel, too.

 **A/N: So Jack obviously has some trust issues, which is why I wanted to get more Jack POV-centered in this chapter. When he's with just Katherine he feels hopelessly in love and happy and has no worries. When Jenna's thrown in the mix he feels unsure of whether Katherine loves him or the idea of his daughter becoming hers, too. Katherine's intentions are all good, I promise you! Jack just obviously can't get over how Sarah-his WIFE-abandoned him and their daughter so easily. That's not something that leave a person unscathed.**

 **Quick Note…I love reviews, but when anonymous reviewers constantly write "PLEASE UPDATE!" And nothing about the story itself at least three times a week, I tend to actually lose my drive from writing and do get rather annoyed. Please try and refrain from that! :) Thanks for understanding. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the sweet reviews on the last chapter! I'm so glad you all think these characters are in character and I'm being realistic. :) I write to please you all! Quick update on my teeth: I CAN CHEW SOLID FOODS! Mac n Cheese and muffins are my best friends at the moment. Aright, back to the story. ;)**

Katherine heard the front door swing open and turned to see Jack walk in, Davey following behind him. "Hey, Katherine?" He called to her loudly, kicking off his shoes and not noticing she was standing a few feet away from him. "Dave's here. I kinda dragged him here to take that baby shower gift home."

"What's my baby cousin doing at your place, Jack?" David glared at his coworker and stood as a barrier between the two other adults. He turned his head and looked at Katherine holding Jenna. "And why is she holding your baby? Ok, now I'm confused!" David threw his hands up in defeat, his wide eyes looking back and forth between Jack and Katherine, searching for quick answers.

"Gee, it's nice to see you, too, Davey." Katherine rolled her eyes at her protective older cousin, the man who was much like a brother to her. "Relax, okay? I was watching Jenna while he was at court and told him I'd be happy to stay and watch her on my day off. One baby is sure easier than eight."

"YOU SLEPT OVER? KATHY!" David yelled, growing red in the face with his fists balled up near his sides. Katherine pressed one hand to his chest in an effort to keep the two from starting a fight.

"Calm down, David, would you?! Yes, I slept over. No, most certainly not in the same bed and you know why. So please relax and know nothing happened and that I'm just here to support a friend during a tough time." Katherine explained rather quickly and calmly, watching as her protector's face returned to a normal shade, his fists uncurling and his eyes no longer glaring dangerously at Jack.

"Dave, nothing happened." Jack weakly defended, his posture never faltering.

"Nothing at all?" He double-checked. Both adults nodded in assurance and all David did was nod. "Sorry about that, Jack." He began his apology, looking at him with soft eyes, taking a step closer. "It's just um…she's had a tough life and I'm really her main support. I don't want her hurt in any way."

"I get it, Dave, don't sweat it. I would've done the same with Jenna." Jack said as the two shook hands awkwardly. "Let me go find that baby shower gift I forgot."

Jack turned on the ball of his heel and left to go in search of the gift wrapped in a baby pink bag. Katherine turned sharply to look at her cousin and glare at him furiously once he had left the room. "David Joseph Jacobs you are so lucky there is an infant in my arms or else I would have stabbed you by now." Katherine hissed quietly at her cousin, her chest heaving from obvious anger. "We agreed several years ago to never talk about my incident. You could have had him asking questions and you're damn lucky he didn't."

"Sorry, Kathy. But after it happened I became even more protective of you and men around you. I can't have it happening again…anything like it happening again. You were a mess; our whole family was."

"Our whole family meaning you, Les, and me. I don't have anyone but you two, which is why it's important you're nice to Jack." Katherine hushed; glancing over her shoulder to make sure Jack wasn't coming yet. "Jack and I have decided to date. It had nothing to do with me sleeping over, I swear. He never made an advance at me sexually, so relax. He is a complete gentleman. Jack Kelly is a really good guy."

"I sure hope he is. And I sure hope he treats you well." David said hesitantly. "Give me a hug, Kid." He said as he pulled her into his arms for a friendly bear hug.

"Why is everyone calling me Kid lately? I am a grown woman!" Katherine growled into his work vest, the beginning of his neck being the end of her head.

"You'll always be a kid to me. I'm ten years older than you. Remember me? That old thirty-four year old cousin you got?" He kissed the top of her head and let her leave his grasp, lightly rocking Jenna in her arms. "Call me if you wanna talk about it, okay, Kathy?"

"Okay, Davey. I love you, old man." She smirked up at him.

"And I love you, Kid." He smiled back down at her.

"I got it!" They both whipped their heads behind them at the sound of Jack's voice. He swiftly moved to where they had been standing, a pink gift bag in his hands. "Sorry, Dave. That day was a busy one for me and I forgot."

"Don't sweat it." He replied with a bright smile. "I gotta get home to Medda. Thanks for the belated gift, Jack. And treat my baby cousin right." David winked at Jack and waved to the two of them, standing awestruck, and slipped out the door.

"How'd he…? Oh!" Jack said, confused at first, and then turning to Katherine with realization. "You told him we're together?" Katherine nodded, handing Jenna to him. Jack smiled at his daughter, bouncing her in the air in front of his face. He did everything to make her giggle, laugh, and smile for the next few minutes before returning to his conversation with Katherine. "I can tell he loves you a lot. I like that."

"I do, too." Katherine smiles fondly of him, smiling as Jack interacts with his daughter. "We should do something Saturday. Neither of us work that day and it could be our second official date."

"What was our first?" jack asked, brows scrunched together in confusion.

"Well our gourmet French toast breakfast in our PJs this morning, of course!" Katherine said in a silly, dramatic tone. The smile in her voice gave off that she was joking and soon enough her and Jack were both in a fit of laughter.

"I'll take you on an official date soon enough, don't you worry." He winked at her. "I'll get someone to watch Jenna and it can be just the two of us. Real romantic and all."

"Oh, Jack Jenna can come. It's alright with me, I love kids, and besides, I couldn't take away from your time with her." Katherine protested innocently. Jack felt a familiar stab in his gut as she mentioned being with him and his daughter. Did she not want it to be just them? Was Jenna the reason for their relationship?

"You sure? I mean…you don't want it to be just us?" Jack asked tentatively as he looks down at his daughter.

"I would love Jenna to be there, but it's up to you. If you have ideas running through that handsome head of yours that are only meant for you and I, then ignore I ever said anything." Katherine said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Jack only nodded, not sure what to think. Of course he'd been coming up with romantic date ideas all day long, but he was also trying to figure out Katherine's true intentions with him and his daughter. "Thanks for watching her again." _Again._ She watched his daughter for free before they had shown their interest in each other. She watched his daughter even though she watches her every other day at work. That damned voice that had been going off in Jack's head all day long decided to speak up again, after having been quieted down for a while.

" _Does she love me or my kid?"_

 **Hearst High School, 2007**

Sixteen year old Katherine Plumber stands in the hallway with her group of friends. She wasn't by any means popular and she knew it full well. Her friends went on and on about their crushes as she stood there, leaning against a blue locker, having no part in their conversation.

Katherine Plumber did not have crushes. She had had only one true crush before, but he had led her on and asked another girl to homecoming. He'd asked another girl after saying he would ask her. He'd asked another girl that was skinnier and prettier and more popular than her. Why would she have believed for a second that he was interested in her?

Katherine stopped having crushes, figuring that she had never once been asked out by a boy in all her sixteen-nearly seventeen-years of living. No boys flirted with her or really even talked to her. What was the point in getting her hopes up that some stupid boy would like her, then cry for days on end when he never talks to her or asks a different girl out? Why would anyone-

"Katherine?"

Her thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice. Turning her head, Katherine's chocolate eyes met with the green ones of Oscar Delancey, a boy she recognized from her English class.

"Yeah?" She replied, almost immediately smacking herself for her stupid response. She was always so awkward around boys.

"I need to get to my locker." He pointed to the locker she had been leaning on for a while with a little smile on his face.

"Oh, duh. Sorry." She said, biting her lower lip, her face flushing a bright red as she moved.

"You're cute when you blush." He said nonchalantly as she passed him. She turned around, eyes wide, and stared at him as he simply carried on with putting books in his locker.

"Did you just call me cute?" She gaped at his words.

"Sorry?" He half-apologized, confusion dripping from his voice.

"No…uh…I didn't mean it like that." She said, her face growing red again. "I just don't get complimented by boys…or people…like ever."

"I don't why. You're really cute." He says as he does that cute half-smile on her. His short blonde hair was perfectly styled and he ran his right hand through the silky blonde threads. "We should talk more. We have English together, right?"

"Yeah…fifth period." Katherine nodded, a smile on her face now.

"Well I can't wait for fifth period then. See you later, Katherine. I like your smile, by the way." He winked at her before walking away, leaving her standing there in shock over what just happened.

 _"Could a boy like me? Especially a boy like Oscar Delancey? He's cute, pretty popular, and…well, a boy. None of those things have found me appealing before!"_

Katherine walked to first period with a smile on her face, eagerly waiting for fifth period.

 **A/N: There you have it! That last little flashback is the beginning of Katherine and Davey's hesitation towards Katherine with guys and sexuality in general. I hope you all enjoyed! Review, follow, and favorite for more! :)**


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